Former NFL safety Darren Sharper surrenders to police in Los Angeles rape case

Former NFL safety and NFL Network analyst Darren Sharper turned himself in to Los Angeles police on Thursday evening without incident after two more rape charges were filed against him. The LAPD confirmed the arrest to 


A man accused along with Darren Sharper of raping two women at a Central Business District apartment last September surrendered to authorities Friday morning. Erik Nunez, 26, was booked into the Orleans Parish jail at 10:04 a.m., records show.


Attempts by media and NFL fans to link Sharper's alleged crimes to the Saints organization fall flat.


Darren Sharper's immediate future will be spent in jail. The former NFL Pro Bowl safety surrendered to authorities in Los Angeles on Thursday night in relation to the warrant that was issued for his arrest on Thursday afternoon in Louisiana. Sharper is


The appalling case of Darren Sharper, the former NFL player accused of raping several women, continues to grow. The New Orleans Police Department announced today that it has issued an arrest warrant for Sharper, who stands accused of raping two 



Former NFL safety Darren Sharper surrenders to police in Los Angeles rape case
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WATCH: Miami releases JoJo Nicolas tribute video

Former University of Miami football star JoJo Nicolas was critically injured in a violent crash on the MacArthur Causeway Tuesday morning, Miami Beach Police said. The crash happened around 5 a.m. in the westbound lanes of the Causeway just before 


“The University of Miami community has suffered a deep loss with the passing of JoJo Nicolas,” Golden said in a statement released by Miami. “For all of us who were fortunate to know JoJo—to coach him, teach him, play 


Former University of Miami football star JoJo Nicolas was critically injured in a violent crash on the MacArthur Causeway Tuesday morning, Miami Beach Police said. The crash happened around 5 a.m. in the westbound lanes of the Causeway just before 


Former University of Miami football star Jojo Nicolas is in critical condition after his car crashed into a semi-truck in Miami Beach early Tuesday morning TMZ Sports has learned. Jojo — a former defensive back who played from 2007 to 2011 — was


Earlier this week, Miami football lost a member of its family when former defensive back JoJo Nicolas died at the age of 24 following a car accident. Nicolas was a part of the Hurricanes football team from 2007-11 and played for the New York Giants in



WATCH: Miami releases JoJo Nicolas tribute video
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Darren Sharper in LA jail awaiting extradition

Darren Sharper is sitting in a downtown L.A. jail right now after surrendering in connection with the New Orleans arrest warrant accusing him of…


Former NFL safety Darren Sharper spent the night in a Los Angeles jail after surrendering to police, following the issue of an arrest warrant in New Orleans for two alleged rapes that occurred in September. If you're keeping 


February 27, 2014, 2:48 p.m.. New Orleans police have obtained an arrest warrant for former NFL football player Darren Sharper, who is already charged with drugging and sexually assaulting two women in Los Angeles and raping two others in New Orleans.


Former NFL safety and NFL Network analyst Darren Sharper turned himself in to Los Angeles police on Thursday evening without incident after two more rape charges were filed against him. The LAPD confirmed the arrest to 


Retired safety Darren Sharper turned himself in last night to the Los Angeles Police Department after an arrest warrant was issued by the New Orleans authorities for two counts of aggravated rape. The Orleans Parish district 



Darren Sharper in LA jail awaiting extradition
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Darren Sharper in LA jail awaiting extradition

Former NFL safety Darren Sharper spent the night in a Los Angeles jail after surrendering to police, following the issue of an arrest warrant in New Orleans for two alleged rapes that occurred in September. If you're keeping 


Former NFL player Darren Sharper was in Los Angeles police custody Thursday night, having turned himself in after New Orleans police issued an arrest warrant alleging he raped two women in that city last year. Sharper had already been charged with 


Perhaps one of the most confusing aspects of one of the most bizarre alleged crime sprees in NFL history comes from the fact that accused serial rapist Darren Sharper remains employed by the NFL. Suspended indefinitely without pay by NFL Network after 


Retired safety Darren Sharper turned himself in last night to the Los Angeles Police Department after an arrest warrant was issued by the New Orleans authorities for two counts of aggravated rape. The Orleans Parish district 


Arrest warrants were issued for former NFL safety Darren Sharper and another man, accusing them of raping two women in New Orleans.



Darren Sharper in LA jail awaiting extradition
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Obama Warns Russia Not to Intervene in Crimea

Simferopol, Ukraine (CNN) — Political tension roiled in Ukraine's Crimea region Friday as its ambassador to the United Nations warned Russia against any further violation of its territorial borders, a warning that came as the United States urged


The parliament of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea has proposed a referendum to determine the region's future amid the turmoil in the country.


For years, cars passing from mainland Ukraine to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea have driven peacefully over two highways, both lined with rundown Soviet-era buildings. The region has been known for centuries as a summer paradise for Russia's elite 


Crimea's ethnic composition and Western policy towards Ukraine could create a Kosovo-like scenario where the majority of Russian speaking residents would claim independence which could lead to violence on the ground, 


Local ethnic Russian 'self-defense squads' have taken control of and raised Russian flags over the buildings of the Crimean parliament and government in the region's capital, Simferopol.



Obama Warns Russia Not to Intervene in Crimea
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LeBron James' Mask Hides Miami Heat's Real Story vs. New York Knicks

MIAMI — Leave it to LeBron James to make a fashion statement out of a broken nose. Sporting a black carbon-fiber mask as protection, James returned to action Thursday night after sitting out a week and led the Miami Heat to a 108-82 win over the New


Heat forward LeBron James donned a black mask against the Knicks. (Issac Baldizon/Getty Images). LeBron James took the court wearing a black mask when the Heat beat the Knicks 108-82 in Miami on Thursday.


LeBron James is playing for the Miami Heat Thursday night in a protective mask for his broken nose, as Miami takes on the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. Before the game, coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters: Erik Spoelstra says LeBron went 


MIAMI — Leave it to LeBron James to make a fashion statement out of a broken nose. Sporting a black carbon-fiber mask as protection, James returned to action Thursday night after sitting out a week and led the Miami Heat to a 108-82 win over the New


After breaking his nose going up for a dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka, LeBron James returned to the starting lineup on Thursday versus the New York Knicks donning a protective mask. Since James chose not to publicly share what the 



LeBron James' Mask Hides Miami Heat's Real Story vs. New York Knicks
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Cleveland job bank operator Kelly Blazek shamed after brutal rejection letters ...

Head of the Cleveland Job Bank Kelly Blazek had a rough recently when her scathing email responses went public. Here's a lesson in how not to behave.


Kelly Blazek, the group's self-described “House Mother” and communications professional, has scrubbed all traces of herself from the Internet after the web erupted when her vitriolic emails went viral. RELATED: CANADIAN MOM TOLD TO 'EUTHANIZE' 


Head of the Cleveland Job Bank Kelly Blazek had a rough recently when her scathing email responses went public. Here's a lesson in how not to behave.


Cleveland.com Kelly Blazek at the IABC awards ceremony You'd think someone who was Head of the Cleveland Job Bank might know more about creating a killer career than how to kill a thriving one. It's tempting to turn this 


Update: Kelly Blazek has penned a carefully crafted apology after her emails went viral (and after #blazek became the number one trending hashtag in Cleveland yesterday)- but is her apology, which only names one of her cyber bullying victims, enough?



Cleveland job bank operator Kelly Blazek shamed after brutal rejection letters ...
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Jim Lange, Genial Host of 'Dating Game,' Dies at 81

Jim Lange, "The Dating Game" host, dead at 81. Host Jim Lange, left, congratulates Connie and Steve Rutenbar of Mission Viejo, Calif., after they won $1 million on the TV show " The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime" on Jan. 16, 1986.  (AP Photo.


Legendary "Dating Game" host Jim Lange shared his stage with some huge Hollywood types back in the day Ahnald, Farrah, even Michael Jackson! Sure…


Jim Lange, "The Dating Game" host, dead at 81. Host Jim Lange, left, congratulates Connie and Steve Rutenbar of Mission Viejo, Calif., after they won $1 million on the TV show " The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime" on Jan. 16, 1986.  (AP Photo.


GSN will remember legendary game show host Jim Lange, who passed away on Tuesday, with a marathon of his most memorable episodes as host of The Dating Game, airing Wednesday, March 5, from 8 am until noon EST.


on the TV show, "The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime." AP/File. Enlarge. San Francisco. Jim Lange, the first host of the popular game show "The Dating Game," has died at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 81. Skip to next paragraph. Related



Jim Lange, Genial Host of 'Dating Game,' Dies at 81
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Scandal Watch: Welcome Back, Gladiators

Even with a months-long hiatus, the Feb. 27 episode of 'Scandal' didn't waste anytime getting down to business. One of the most shocking reveals was Mellie's new love interest! Strap yourselves in, Gladiators — it's going to 


While the Northern Hemisphere froze during Scandal's glacial two-month hiatus, Fitz and Olivia's relationship certainly wasn't put on ice. Within the first few minutes of the show's return, we saw that things have progressed to the point that the two


A woman waiting more than an hour for an ambulance to tend to her head injury. Police trying to figure out how to deal with a school bus accident. Irate motorists not knowing what had befallen them as they waited helplessly trying to get to work or school.


Even with a months-long hiatus, the Feb. 27 episode of 'Scandal' didn't waste anytime getting down to business. One of the most shocking reveals was Mellie's new love interest! Strap yourselves in, Gladiators — it's going to 


If you hadn't already marked your calendar for February 27, you surely would have found out on Twitter: Scandal is back! After an excruciating two-and-a-half-month hiatus and a midseason finale featuring a holy-rolling murder cover-up, a tête-à-tête in



Scandal Watch: Welcome Back, Gladiators
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'Non-Stop': Liam Neeson, Armed And Dangerous Again

"He won't even take a meeting with the horse carriage industry. He's supposed to be representing the New York people, dammit!" Neeson said while debating Jon Stewart. Liam Neeson got heated over New York City politics 


In the final season — dubbed "The Lost Missions" — actor Liam Neeson returns to the franchise to reprise his role as the slain Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, where he directs Yoda to visit Dagobah, the same swampy planet that Luke 


This weekend is a box office wild card. Liam Neeson is an earnings force unto himself, and his latest turn as an air marshal on a hijacked transatlantic flight in Non-Stop should evict The Lego Movie from its three-weekend 


Forget snakes on a plane. Cellphones on a plane can be far more lethal. The airlines might consider using Non-Stop (**½ out of four; rated PG-13; opening Friday nationwide) in an appeal to the FAA to keep the ban on in-flight mobile phone use intact.


January and February are traditionally regarded as dumping grounds for Hollywood's lesser movies — the time when studios release the films not good enough for Oscar season and not promising enough for the summer box 



'Non-Stop': Liam Neeson, Armed And Dangerous Again
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Seth Rogen Testifies for Alzheimer's, Senators Don't Show Up

Seth Rogen testified before a Senate subcommittee Wednesday and pledged allegiance — to "House of Cards." Seth went to Capitol Hill to voice his support for legislation to increase funding for Alzheimer's research. Seth's mother-in-law suffers from


Despite the cause being extremely important, it seems many members of the senate didn't think it was as only two senators showed up! “All those empty seats are senators who are not prioritizing Alzheimer's. Unless more noise is made, it won't change


Seth Rogen testified before a Senate subcommittee Wednesday and pledged allegiance — to "House of Cards." Seth went to Capitol Hill to voice his support for legislation to increase funding for Alzheimer's research. Seth's mother-in-law suffers from


Seth Rogen isn't all stoner comedies and “Bound 2″ parodies. The self-described “man-child” put on a suit and tie yesterday to speak in front of the Senate about promoting Alzheimer's education.


Director, writer and cast member Seth Rogen waves at the premiere of "This Is the End" at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California June 3, 2013. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 12. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES – Tags: 



Seth Rogen Testifies for Alzheimer's, Senators Don't Show Up
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Jim Lange, Genial Host of 'Dating Game,' Dies at 81

Who doesn't know and love The Dating Game, whether from countless spoofs of host Jim Lange, the campy matchmaking TV program itself, or from personal pop art-infused memories of the groundbreaking "reality show's" 


Who doesn't know and love The Dating Game, whether from countless spoofs of host Jim Lange, the campy matchmaking TV program itself, or from personal pop art-infused memories of the groundbreaking "reality show's" 


Jim Lange, who died of a heart attack Tuesday at age 81, hosted many game shows during his decades-long career, but it was his work on "The Dating Game" that made him the most famous. Lange was the first host of this enduring singles' program, and his 


Plus, Jim Lange had an outstanding voice. You had to be fast with the original "Dating Game." The show was known for titillating questions and answers from contestants, and it was up to the host to keep the show on track– 


Legendary "Dating Game" host Jim Lange shared his stage with some huge Hollywood types back in the day Ahnald, Farrah, even Michael Jackson! Sure…



Jim Lange, Genial Host of 'Dating Game,' Dies at 81
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Darth Driver! 'Star Wars: Episode VII' has its first actor

Girls' Adam Driver Near Deal to Play Darth Vader-Esque Villain in 'Star Wars: Episode VII'! Adam Driver is reportedly nearing a deal to play the villain in the highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII, Variety reports. Not much 


Girls star Adam Driver is in final negotiations to star as the villain in Star Wars: Episode VII. PHOTOS: 'Star Wars' Actors: Then and Now Sources confirm to THR that Driver is nearing a deal for the undisclosed role.


Could “Girls” star Adam Driver be the new Darth Vader-like villain in “Star Wars: Episode VII?”


The last time we saw Adam Driver he was lounging with Lena Dunham in that controversial Vogue photo spread. Now, the Girls co-star will be a key player in one of the most popular film franchise of the past 30-plus years. Driver will play a villain in


Girls star Adam Driver is in final negotiations to star as the villain in Star Wars: Episode VII. PHOTOS: 'Star Wars' Actors: Then and Now Sources confirm to THR that Driver is nearing a deal for the undisclosed role.



Darth Driver! 'Star Wars: Episode VII' has its first actor
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Drew Barrymore: Radiant Pregnancy Serenade From Adam Sandler — Watch

Drew was definitely enjoying herself as she was laughing hysterically on different occasions throughout their appearance. Afterwards she posted a photo with Adam and Jimmy on Instagram and raved about the great time she had. 'Can you take it !!! Two of 


Drew was definitely enjoying herself as she was laughing hysterically on different occasions throughout their appearance. Afterwards she posted a photo with Adam and Jimmy on Instagram and raved about the great time she had. 'Can you take it !!! Two of 


During an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" to promote "Blended," Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler sang a little duet. The duo wanted to commemorate the fact that they always seem to end up in 


Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are pals from way back. The on-screen couple ("The Wedding Singer," "50 First Dates") dropped by "The Tonight Show" on Wednesday night to plug a new movie, but judging from their body language, it was hardly work at 


Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore sang a song for The Tonight Show (with Jimmy Fallon on guitar) about their repeated on-screen pairings and it was sort of cute.



Drew Barrymore: Radiant Pregnancy Serenade From Adam Sandler — Watch
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Jake Bugg misses out on gong at NME Awards but Shane Meadows does win ...

There is no doubt that Jake Bugg can be easily compared to the likes of legendary rock/folk solo artists, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. His work ethic is already admirable having made two albums in the space of just over a year. Now the 19-year-old is


In the flesh, Jake Bugg looks impossibly young and rather angelic, the disdainful scowl he has perfected for television and photo shoots here melting into something far more vulnerable. “I'm shy,” he says. “I don't think people get that.” He says he


During old-timey footage from way back when, i.e. back in ye olden audition times, Keith mentioned a young singer to watch named Jake Bugg. Well, Keith is excited to announce that Jake is a guest performer for the evening, singing his song “Me And You.


I just found NEW pictures of Jake Bugg at NME Magazine from Nov. 2013. I added them in our gallery, so check it out. NME Magazine Issue 47 Year 2013 (11/23/2013) Pics by Ed Miles and Hazel Sheffield. Deixe um comentário – Sem 


In the flesh, Jake Bugg looks impossibly young and rather angelic, the disdainful scowl he has perfected for television and photo shoots here melting into something far more vulnerable. “I'm shy,” he says. “I don't think people get that.” He says he



Jake Bugg misses out on gong at NME Awards but Shane Meadows does win ...
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Scandal: “Ride, Sally, Ride”

If you hadn't already marked your calendar for February 27, you surely would have found out on Twitter: Scandal is back! After an excruciating two-and-a-half-month hiatus and a midseason finale featuring a holy-rolling 


Even with a months-long hiatus, the Feb. 27 episode of 'Scandal' didn't waste anytime getting down to business. One of the most shocking reveals was Mellie's new love interest! Strap yourselves in, Gladiators — it's going to 


Scandal Mellie Love Interest ABC's Scandal at long last resumed Season 3 with an episode that threw a huge curve ball at Fitz's already tough bid for reelection, welcomed Olivia back to the campaign trail, pushed Quinn to a 


Spoiler alert! We're about to dig into the biggest, most jaw-dropping moments from Thursday night's TV. If you haven't yet watched a particular show, and don't want to be spoiled, skip to the next! Scandal Let's do this, gladiators: Fresh off of


Scandal's Scott Foley: I'm a Very Average Man Off Camera Scott Foley looks suave in his blazer while posing for a feature in Da Man magazine's February/March 2014 issue, out on newsstands now. Here is what the 



Scandal: “Ride, Sally, Ride”
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Jim Lange, Genial Host of 'Dating Game,' Dies at 81

Lange was born on Aug. 15, 1932, in St. Paul, Minn., where as a young man he discovered a passion for local radio. He worked as a disc jockey for decades, and upon his retirement from broadcasting in 2005, he was the morning DJ for KABL-FM in the San 


Jim Lange has died, and for some of us that conjures the image of a man with sideburns, a big, easy smile and a TV set dotted with a far-out floral design. Lange, original host of "The Dating Game," appeared in living rooms in the '60s with turtleneck


Jim Lange, who died of a heart attack Tuesday at age 81, hosted many game shows during his decades-long career, but it was his work on "The Dating Game" that made him the most famous. Lange was the first host of this enduring singles' program, and his 


Jim Lange, the original host of “The Dating Game,” the hit TV show that distilled the Swinging Sixties into a potent blend of on-screen matchmaking, jovial innuendo and unstinting Mod aesthetics, died on Tuesday a his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 81.


This morning, news broke that the original Dating Game host Jim Lange died Tuesday morning from a heart attack at the age of 81, reports CBS LA. During his long career as host of The Dating Game from 1965 to 1980, Jim 



Jim Lange, Genial Host of 'Dating Game,' Dies at 81
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Friday's Daily Brief: Ahn-nyong-ha-seh-yo! Introducing HuffPost Korea

Ahn-nyong-ha-seh-yo! Introducing HuffPost Korea
Arianna Huffington: <i>Ahn-nyong-ha-seh-yo</i>! Introducing HuffPost Korea
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Arianna Huffington: Ahn-nyong-ha-seh-yo! Introducing HuffPost Korea

Ahn-nyong-ha-seh-yo from Seoul. I'm here for the launch of HuffPost Korea, which marks the 11th country where The Huffington Post's hybrid approach to journalism -- as a hub for original reporting and a blogging platform for a range of voices, both new and established -- is expanding the worldwide conversation. And we're very excited to be partnering with a great media company, the Hankyoreh Media Group. At the very moment that Korea is facing slowed-down economic growth and the unintended consequences of the rapid growth of the past, there is a growing recognition that there has to be a new path forward that will allow Koreans to tap into their creativity and ability to innovate while reducing the cost of stress on their workforce. HuffPost Korea will be using all the tools at our disposal to tell these stories -- and just as important, to help Koreans tell their stories themselves.

Ukraine Airports Seized By Armed Men
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Ukraine Airports Seized By Armed Men

More Documents Released In New Jersey Traffic Jam Case
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More Documents Released In New Jersey Traffic Jam Case


Gordon Brown: A Senseless Massacre of Innocents in Nigeria

The education challenges in Nigeria are real and many. There is a teacher shortage of nearly 1.3 million, basic infrastructure is lacking and there is a shortfall of up to 1.2 million classrooms. There are fewer children in school each year due to child marriages and gender and religious biases and education is simply too costly for the poor.

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Mark Gongloff: Of COURSE Fast-Food Workers Say Crazy Things On Receipts. Their Job Is Awful

When you read that story recently about the Burger King customers who were insulted on their order receipt, you may have felt shock, outrage and sympathy for the customers. I felt a little of that, but something else, too: I felt empathy for the employee who typed up the receipt and then got fired over it.

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This Chart Proves Just How Miserably America Is Failing On Climate Change

This Chart Proves Just How Miserably America Is Failing On Climate Change

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Mt. Gox Goes Bankrupt After Losing $425 Million In Bitcoins

Mt. Gox Goes Bankrupt After Losing $425 Million In Bitcoins

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Seth Rogen Publicly Shames Senators After They Walk Out On His Testimony

Seth Rogen Publicly Shames Senators After They Walk Out On His Testimony

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Allen Frances: Wolfish Radicals in Conservative Sheep's Clothing

Allen Frances: Wolfish Radicals in Conservative Sheep's Clothing

The media have adopted a new and dangerous convention. People who are radical in their goals and methods are routinely mislabeled 'conservative.' Edmund Burke, the patron saint of real conservatism, must be spinning in his grave when Sarah Palin is called 'conservative.'

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TED Weekends: Money Means Nothing Without Self-Meaning

TED Weekends: Money Means Nothing Without Self-Meaning

2013-01-18-TEDplayvideo.jpgThere is a new model of business and business student afoot: The student who enters my office with a deep passion to do two things. Make money and do good. Business schools are "rebranding" themselves to welcome this new identity. It's being called "social impact." The identity of the student, who has realized that mindless self-investment into the false idol of material things for their sake is an empty void and a fast track to an empty soul, is changing.

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Jake Bugg misses out on gong at NME Awards but Shane Meadows does win ...

Jake Bugg Central is not an officia fansite and nonprofit. We have no contact with Jake, his agent, his record company, his family, friends, etc.. We ask that the translated files by the site staff as well as content researched and edited by us, are 


There is a line in Storm Passes Away, the final track on Jake Bugg's second album, Shangri La, that sums up what a lot of us have been thinking. “They keep telling me that I'm older than I'm supposed to be,” sings the 19-year-old, stood in front 


Jake Bugg. Johnny Cash was BUMMING ME OUT. I cannot have negative things in my iTunes. Oh, the end-to-end whinging. Grow a pair. However, an energetic song along similar lines of uncertainty is fine.


Jake Bugg Central is not an officia fansite and nonprofit. We have no contact with Jake, his agent, his record company, his family, friends, etc.. We ask that the translated files by the site staff as well as content researched and edited by us, are 


Jake Bugg | “Lightning Bolt” – A64 [S8.EP10]: SBTV From the SBTV vault, we bring you this #SBTVThrowback of Jake Bugg's A64 of “Lightning Bolt”. Deixe um comentário – Sem Comentários 



Jake Bugg misses out on gong at NME Awards but Shane Meadows does win ...
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The Next Web

The Next Web


DigiCal for Android gets new-look widgets and calendar view options

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:57 AM PST

Theme widget type 220x366 DigiCal for Android gets new look widgets and calendar view optionsWe've already featured DigiCal before in our 12 best Android calendar apps roundup last year, but today, the app has been updated to introduce a sleek new look and more flexibility to its calendar widgets.

The update brings an overall cleaner design to all widget types and introduces some much needed pre-configured widget options for people that don't have time to tinker and set up their own. As a bonus, it'll also now show a live preview of how widgets will look before you settle on your theme.

Among the list of updates, there's the option to set lock screen widgets so you can view your meetings without needing to unlock your device (provided you're running Android 4.2 or newer) and a few other little tweaks for premium DigiCal+ users – like the option to use the 'Month Calendar' widget.

DigiCal [Google Play]

Featured Image Credit – Thinkstock

 

 

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The rise of OpenStreetMap: A quest to conquer Google’s mapping empire

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:21 AM PST

featzz1 520x245 The rise of OpenStreetMap: A quest to conquer Googles mapping empire

om·ni·pres·ent

adjective \-zənt\

: present in all places at all times

This definition of omnipresent sums up many facets of society. Fast food chains? Everywhere. Reality TV shows? You know the answer. And what about Google? Yup, right again.

What started as a simple search engine back in 1998 is now an omnipresent force, spanning search, email, video, productivity, smartphones, laptops, glasses, navigation and more. And by more, we mean more. Just last month, Google acquired Nest for multiple billions, even though it really only has a (smart) thermostat and smoke detector to its name. But it's all about the future, and the future is very much about smart homes and the Internet of everything.

Not long before Nest, Google acquired Boston Dynamics, a company that builds robots that can walk and run and have names like BigDog, Cheetah, WildCat and Atlas. Cheetah can apparently run faster than Usain Bolt. This initiative could well be bolstered by its subsequent acquisition of artificial intelligence (AI) firm DeepMind, for what's thought to be in the region of $500m.

Five years from now, Google may have data-points from every facet of your life – at home, on the bus, and in the car. However, this is all just scene-setting for what we're really here to talk about – maps.

Navigation: There's a (Google) map for that

Navigation 730x456 The rise of OpenStreetMap: A quest to conquer Googles mapping empire

Deeply entrenched in Google's arsenal of innovation is Google Maps, a service you've no doubt encountered in your time online through Google's own cross-platform mapping tools, or the slew of third-party apps that suckle from its navigational teat. Maps is a massively useful service, one that single-handedly underscores the value of 3G- and 4G-enabled smart devices, as it means no more expensive satnav systems for your car, and no more stopping strangers in the street to ask where the Horse & Hound pub is.

As with most of Google's services, Maps brings endless value to the table, and it's difficult to knock something that has ultimately changed the way people interact with the world around them. But is a future where Google knows where you are at all times a good thing?

We're already seeing how Google+ is being used as its cross-product glue, providing a 'unified' experience. Want to post a comment on YouTube or write a review on Google Play? You gotta use Google+. Google Maps is one obvious omission here – you can use it on the Web without having to surrender any account details. Could that change in the future? Who knows. But anything's possible.

Of course, you're not physically tethered to Google Maps – you use it because it's genuinely a great service. Decent alternatives include Microsoft's Bing Maps and Nokia's HERE mapping services, but 'Google Maps is Google Maps', right?

Then there's OpenStreetMap, which you may have encountered before without really knowing it. For the unitiated, OpenStreetMap is a free, editable map of the world created by the online masses. Yes, it's just like Wikipedia…but for maps.

OpenStreetMap is also a little bit like Google's very own Map Maker tool, insofar as it taps the goodwill of the public to improve the geo-data associated with its maps, without a hint of financial reward. One key difference, of course, is that OSM is a not-for-profit that gives the data back to the community to reuse in other products and services. Google, on the other hand, is a multi-billion dollar corporation that sells much of this data back to third-parties.

The hows and whys of people's decision to donate their spare time to a money-making enterprise is an argument for another day. But the fact that Google has adopted an OpenStreetMap-style approach to improving its own maps is telling – and it also bodes well for the future of OSM.

In recent times, OSM has hit the headlines on a number of occasions, often when a well-known tech-brand adopts the open-source mapping platform instead of Google. Foursquare ditched Google Maps back in 2012 for the OpenStreetMap-powered MapBox, Craigslist uses it for apartment searches, while the mighty Apple has turned to OpenStreetMap data too, even though it took a while for the attribution to be added.

One of the key reasons more companies have started using OpenStreetMap over Google Maps in recent times comes down to two simple things: price and quality.

Back in 2012, Google introduced usage limits for its API, which basically stipulated that once a third-party app exceeded 25,000 map loads for 90 consecutive days, the company/developer would have to pay $4 for every subsequent 1,000 map loads above the free allowance. This fee was subsequently lowered to $0.50, but only after some big-name departures, including the aforementioned Foursquare.

There are rather a lot of OSM-based services out there now, including Germany-based Skobbler, which serves up GPS navigation and other travel-themed apps for iOS and Android. Skobbler hit the headlines at the end of January, after it was acquired by personalized navigation company Telenav for $25 million. But perhaps one of the more fascinating facets of this deal was who was already leading Telenav's efforts in the OpenStreetMap space – this was none other than Steve Coast, founder of the OpenStreetMap project itself, who had joined Telenav from Microsoft the previous September.

Coast was quick to point out Google's own efforts in the people-powered mapping space, as he explained in a post-Skobbler acquisition blog post

"Have others tried their hand at crowd-sourcing map data as well? Absolutely. Waze and Google – or, just Google now – provide similar mechanisms to improve their maps, based mostly on OSM's innovations. With one big catch. It is very much their map. Not yours. (Just ask the developers who pay a lot of money to use it.)

OpenStreetMap is different. All of the quality data contributed is openly available – just like Wikipedia. So, anyone can download, experiment and play with it freely. It's not locked up beyond your reach."

But that's only the tip of the iceberg. There has been more than a few dissenting voices over the years, from those concerned about Google's hold on all our data.

'Owning' location

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Serge Wroclawski, the OpenStreetMapper and self-proclaimed ethical hacker behind the Emacsen blog, posted a very interesting and heartfelt article last month called Why the World Needs OpenStreetMap. While he raises a number of important points, one of the core underlying tenets of his argument centers on the issue of 'owning' location.

"In the 1800s, people were struggling with time – not how much of it they had, but what time it was," he says. "Clocks existed, but every town had its own time – 'Local Time' – which was synchronized by town clocks or, more often than not, church bells. Railway time, then Greenwich Mean Time [GMT] eventually supplanted all local time, and most people today don't think about time as anything but universal."

Using this concept of the universality of time, Wroclawski prods at the modern-day quandary of location – vis-à-vis who owns it, and should one corporation lay claim to the notion of 'place'.

It's not just about Google Maps of course – there's Nokia's HERE Maps which was boosted by its $8 billion Navteq acquisition back in 2007, and TomTom too, underpinned by its 2008 Tele Atlas acquisition. But Google is a good example of how one company could grow to own the concept of 'place'.

Wroclawski argues that such companies are striving to become "the definitive sources" of location, given that it's such big business.

"With all these companies, why do we need a project like OpenStreetMap?," he ponders. "The answer is simply that as a society, no one company should have a monopoly on place, just as no one company had a monopoly on time in the 1800s. Place is a shared resource, and when you give all that power to a single entity, you are giving them the power not only to tell you about your location, but to shape it."

Ultimately, Wroclawski's concerns about place-ownership center on things such as who decides what is displayed on a map (e.g. Google), and the mass collection of data. It all makes for an interesting read, one that builds a strong case for OpenStreetMap as a 'thing'. A Wikipedia-style platform for maps – open, transparent and editable by anyone with a desire to do so.

With that in mind, we caught up with Steve Coast to get the lowdown on where OpenStreetMap has come from, where it's at, and where things could go from here.

The rise of OpenStreetMap

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The first building blocks of OpenStreetMap were cemented while Coast was at university in London back in 2004.

He dropped out of Computer Science and Physics degrees, and also worked in research departments of universities along the way, not to mention stints at software companies. Throw into the mix his own companies and a spell at Microsoft before joining Telenav last year and, well, it's clear to see that Coast has had his fingers in many pies over the years.

But it's OpenStreetMap we're focusing on specifically here.

"The core way that the project works in terms of the infrastructure of the software was all stuff that I designed quite a long time ago now," says Coast. "But it went through several iterations. The first two versions of the project were essentially thrown away and rewritten from scratch. But the third version is what lasted. We're actually several versions on from that now, but the architecture and infrastructure as designed by me back then, is pretty much what you see today. It's definitely faster and more scalable, but it's the same stuff."

The body that 'calls the shots', for want of a better phrase, with OpenStreetMap is the UK-registered OpenStreetMap Foundation. Now, the Foundation doesn't actually have any paid employees as such, though there is around five hundred people who pay a nominal annual fee (£15/$25) to vote on things like who sits on the board.

The board currently consists of seven people, not including Coast himself who now has more of an advisory role. So how much work has gone into making OSM what it is today – and was this ever actually a full-time gig for Coast?

"It's certainly been a full-time job, but just in different senses," he says. "When I was a student, running OpenStreetMap consumed a large chunk of time building the thing initially. And then I was involved with a startup years ago, where effectively we were just working on OpenStreetMap all the time. And now I'm at Telenav, but really what we're doing is OpenStreetMap work, and ensuring the data is up to scratch for use in consumer navigation."

So while you probably couldn't call OpenStreetMap a 'job' in itself for Coast, it's certainly consumed many man hours and served to support other roles – including his current position at Telenav, which as we noted earlier is now the proud owner of Skobbler.

Founded in the US in 1999, Telenav offers a range of location-based services covering GPS navigation, localized search, and related services. But Telenav doesn't commit itself to one map provider. "We're kind of map agnostic," says Coast. "We have relationships with Tom Tom, HERE, and OpenStreetMap."

While Skobbler was working to improve OpenStreetMap data from its base in Europe, Telenav has been doing the same from its HQ in the States, which makes this acquisition begin to make a lot of sense. "There's a good match there," adds Coast. "But it also helps the company (Telenav) in a couple of ways – it helps us expand our office from being 'US and China', to having a solid base in Europe."

So hand-in-hand, Telenav and Skobbler have been, and will continue to, improve OpenStreetMap data – primarily for its own products, of course, but the knock-on effect of this benefits anyone using the crowdsourced mapping platform.

Longer term, the Skobbler name will be gobbled up into the Telenav brand, while Skobbler's existing apps such as GPS Navigation and Forever Map will remain the same for the time being, though these will likely be integrated into Telenav's Scout-branded apps in the future.

 The rise of OpenStreetMap: A quest to conquer Googles mapping empire     The rise of OpenStreetMap: A quest to conquer Googles mapping empire

It's easy to call OpenStreetMap the 'Wikipedia of maps', and then be on your way. It's to-the-point, simple to digest, and sums up its core raison d'être in a heartbeat. But there's a world of difference between tapping Joe Public's gargantuan, collective knowledge-base on The Three Stooges or quantum mechanics, and mapping out streets, rivers, buildings and canyons on a collaborative canvas in the cloud.

Indeed, any discussion on the rise of OSM and its credentials in the mapping realm needs to look at how exactly it gets its data, and how reliable this data is.

The inner workings of OpenStreetMap

Today, OpenStreetMap has in the region of 1.5 million registered editors, representing a hockey stick-style growth over the past 18 months. As you can see here, there were only around 650,000 registered users in August 2012.

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Of course, there are varying degrees of engagement among the editors – just like Wikipedia. "You'll have a small number of people who sit there editing all day long," says Coast. "Then you'll have a much larger group of people editing once a day, once a week or maybe once a month."

But how does all this data actually get from humans and into the maps? Are they out on the streets with yardsticks and cameras?

"When the project began, then there was nothing at all," says Coast. "What people did was basically bike around – because biking in Europe is one of the quickest ways to get around. And they'd bike around with a GPS device and a camera, then they would return home with this GPS trace – a series of dots of where you traveled – and then you would match this data to the photos."

So when things kicked off, it was about as manual a process as you could get. While it still is very much a manual process to some degree, things have evolved over the years to expedite development.

"Now we have access to aerial imagery so you can draw on top of the picture," says Coast. "That said, some people in some places do still use GPS to map things out, especially if a new road has been built, which isn't yet included in the aerial imagery."

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You're probably thinking, 'Sure, but where does all the aerial imagery come from? Surely there aren't 1.5 million people hot-air-ballooning around the globe armed with digital cameras? Well, of course not. The imagery actually arrives via a more sensible conduit. "When I worked at Microsoft, we made a donation of all our aerial imagery to OpenStreetMap, and it's still updated regularly," says Coast.

Of course, capturing adequate aerial imagery is a tough task for companies of any size. You have to go on days when there aren't any clouds, while lighting conditions must also be good. Then you have to prioritize areas that change a lot, or are important to people, such as sprawling conurbations. Typically, such images are garnered from airplanes, but satellite imagery is also used sometimes.

But for OSM's band of merry editors, how the imagery arrives on the platform doesn't really matter – all that matters is that they have a  good, dependable base upon which to build.

Back in May last year, MapBox launched iD for OpenStreetMap, a slicker editor to encourage more people to contribute to the mapping platform. This was built in pure JavaScript with the d3 visualization library, and was designed to replace a clunkier Flash-based editor – OpenStreetMap adopted this by default just a few months later.

Map features are represented in three ways, using points, lines or areas. Now, points could represent features such as shops, restaurants and monuments, while lines may constitute roads, railway tracks or rivers.

Areas, on the other hand, offer a more detailed way of representing features, and cover boundaries such as surrounding woodland or fields.

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You click the segment of the map you wish to edit, and then enter the vital specifics in the left-hand pane – this could be a building name, street name, driving direction (e.g. 'one way') and many other data-points that may be of use to the wider public.

This is the very basics of OpenStreetMap, and for most people familiar with other online editing tools, it shouldn't take too long to get to grips with.

But from an end-user perspective, vis-à-vis those who ultimately end up using the maps to find their way from A to B, how reliable and extensive is the software? And could someone really be comfortable relying on OSM to not get them lost on the way to the airport?

We take a look.

Making a good map

Google Maps is the big dog with billions of dollars at its disposal and plenty of incentive to ensure Google Maps is in tip-top shape. And OSM is the people-powered underdog, powered by unpaid volunteers. There must surely be large swathes of land not covered by OpenStreetMap?

"Actually no, not that a consumer would notice," says Coast. "As a display map that you would just look at, OpenStreetMap is pretty complete.

A quick search on the OpenStreetMap Web portal for 'Sochi', the location of the 2014 Winter Olympics, reveals that it is pretty complete. And compared with Google Maps, it could be argued it's actually more extensive.

But what about the darkest corners of Siberia and other such remote locations? "You'd be amazed – places are mapped approximately to the limit, and it would be hard to find anywhere that OSM lacks decent data," says Coast. "Most of the time it will have either the best, or a very close second for most of the world."

So if OSM is actually more extensive than Google Maps some of the time, why would any company or consumer use Google Maps over an OpenStreetMap-powered competitor? Well, it seems that it's not all about the maps and the coverage. The data attached to the maps is every bit as important.

There are basically three core things that go into any good map – there's the display element (the map itself), and the navigability information within the map (speed-limits, one-way etc) that help you build software for turn-by-turn navigation. And the third piece of the jigsaw is addresses – where are all the houses, and what are the numbers on each house?

"OpenStreetMap is very good at the display part, and it has pretty good navigability information, though it's not perfect," says Coast. "But then there's the address data – this is missing from many parts of OpenStreetMap. You need all three pieces to offer consumer turn-by-turn navigation, and that's what we've been working on at Telenav – filling in those two pieces."

Like a good wine, online maps improve with age. One of the things that Skobbler, Telenav and others do is gather lots of GPS traces and process it to figure out things for themselves, and this doesn't require direct user input.

For example, when drivers use these apps while driving along London's South Circular, GPS data may reveal that most people drive at 60mph along a certain stretch, which means the speed-limit is probably 60mph. Similarly, it can detect if all cars are traversing the same route in the same direction, therefore it's almost certainly a one-way road.

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"Without having to send people out or get volunteers, we can process lots of data to figure things out," says Coast. "And that's what we do to make OpenStreetMap better for turn-by-turn navigation."

Postal codes, on the other hand, are a different kettle of fish. Typically constituting a series of letters and/or numbers, these codes ultimately help letters arrive at the right house in the right town. The actual setup, however, varies from country-to-country.  In the UK, a full alpha-numeric post code, or 'postcode unit', usually matches a handful of addresses (e.g. four houses), or a single, larger end-point such as a warehouse. But matching such data up within OpenStreetMap can be problematic.

The problem lies in not being able to convert a postcode to a latitude/longitude figure, and then back again. The data to easily enable this isn't freely available in many countries.

"It's very hard to reverse engineer them, because you can figure out streets just by walking around, you can see names on signs," says Coast. "But if you're just walking around trying to figure out what post code it is, that's more difficult."

Indeed, another side-project Coast started some years back was called Free The Postcode, the idea being that if you're sitting in a pub you just ask the guy behind the bar what the postcode at the pub. And there's no shortage of pubs, so eventually you can start to complete where all the postcodes are. "You're never going to get 100% accuracy doing it in such a way," says Coast. "But you'll get pretty close."

In terms of other countries, well, it's much the same. Each has their own nuances in terms of how much postal code data is available. And this is one of the major stumbling blocks for OSM.

But address data isn't the only stumbling block.

Attribution: Credit where credit's due

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"We've put a lot of time, effort and energy into making this project succeed, and we only ask two things in return," says Coast. "One of them is if you change the data, please give us the changes back so we can improve the map."

In other words, if a company taps OSM for its own services and edits the content to make it more accurate, the fundamental premise here is that they should make it available for everyone to benefit from. And what's the second thing OSM want in return?

"If you use our data, can you please explicitly say, 'hey, this is Open Street Map'," continues Coast. "Because that means we'll get more people using it, more people adding data, and this makes the maps better for everyone."

However, it seems that people interpret that second clause rather narrowly. "What you see on most (non-OSM) maps is a little copyright of whoever built the map," adds Coast. "For design reasons, (with OSM) some people want to do away with that line of text on the map – or just make it a tiny little link which then goes to a much broader set of attributions. Our interpretation is you should put 'Copyright Open Street Map Contributors' at the bottom right. I don't think it's a lot to ask."

Indeed, in a forum post by OpenStreetMap Foundation Chairman Simon Poole, he cites lack of attribution as a major issue.

"Why is it that getting users of our data to attribute OpenStreetMap correctly seems to be such an uphill battle?," he says. "This is not something new, browsing the wiki, mailing lists and forums show that this has been an issue from day one. Why is it so difficult for us to get the only compensation we ask for, when at the same time nobody has issues attributing Google?"

To rub salt into the wounds, Poole also says that it's "not rare" to see a Google attribution on OpenStreetMap derived content. Ouch. But a quick peek at the OSM Foundation's licensing terms reveal that they are pretty clear:

"We require that you use the credit "© OpenStreetMap contributors".

You must also make it clear that the data is available under the Open Database License, and if using our map tiles, that the cartography is licensed as CC BY-SA. You may do this by linking to this copyright page. Alternatively, and as a requirement if you are distributing OSM in a data form, you can name and link directly to the license(s). In media where links are not possible (e.g. printed works), we suggest you direct your readers to openstreetmap.org (perhaps by expanding 'OpenStreetMap' to this full address), to opendatacommons.org, and if relevant, to creativecommons.org."

OSM Attribution The rise of OpenStreetMap: A quest to conquer Googles mapping empireWhat that actually translates to in real terms, it seems, is evidently open to interpretation – in terms of where the attribution actually appears. But it's supposed to look a little something like this.

How this attribution ends up looking – if there is one at all – will vary from service to service. For example, with Apple – though it doesn't exclusively use OSM data – you have to dig down quite deep into the acknowledgements to realize that OpenStreetMap data has been used.

You certainly wouldn't know that it does just from looking at the maps, but then I guess things would start to look pretty ugly if Apple credited every source on the map itself.

appsle 220x330 The rise of OpenStreetMap: A quest to conquer Googles mapping empire    appleaz 220x330 The rise of OpenStreetMap: A quest to conquer Googles mapping empire

For OpenStreetMap to gain more mindshare among the masses, it maybe does have to begin enforcing the attribution aspect a little more aggressively, or perhaps reword the licensing terms to make them less open to interpretation.

However, there is one other potential avenue open to OpenStreetMap, and that's to launch its own branded, standalone service.

OpenStreetMap: The brand

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Though Wikipedia has an API for third-party developers to tap its data, Wikipedia itself is one of the most recognizable brands on the Web. And that's because it's much more than an API for developers – it is a service in its own right.

While the OpenStreetMap website could conceivably be used by a consumer for some navigational purposes, it hasn't been designed as such. So even as more third-party services and developers turn to OpenStreetMap, it wouldn't likely receive the recognition it perhaps deserves – it's a back-end, not a front-end, after all. So would there ever be scope to push-out an OpenStreetMap-branded service on its own?

"If it was up to me, then we would certainly be a lot more consumer focused, and make the website usable like that," says Coast. "There are some trade-offs by just focusing on the developer side of things rather than users. It basically makes our costs a lot lower, and it makes the organization more lean and focused too. But it'll probably stay the way it is for the foreseeable future."

So it seems despite the massive branding boost it could receive by going out on its own, there would be massive cost implications. You know those 'give us money' banners you see at the top of Wikipedia, with Jimmy Wales' head plastered across the top? Yup, you'd perhaps have to endure such hijinks on OpenStreetMap too.

Speaking of which… how exactly is OpenStreetMap funded?

A lean mapping machine

As we've noted already, OpenStreetMap has no paid employees, no premises, and no real overheads to speak of. It's truly a people-powered machine. But there has to be at least some costs, right?

Though Coast didn't have an exact figure to hand, he did put its annual donations in the "low tens of thousands" bracket. "It's practically nothing," he says. "It's low, because our costs are low."

Indeed, London's UCL and Imperial College both give "free or very cheap" hosting for OSM's servers. And the donations it does receive fluctuate in line with very specific needs. If they do require a new database server, for instance, they run a specific funding drive to garner whatever funds are necessary to attain it.

So there's no interest in doing a Wikipedia-style banner ad for donations? "Their infrastructure costs are a lot higher," says Coast. "But some people have said we should do something similar."

If OpenStreetMap can get by just fine without gazillions in the coffers, why change that, right?

Efficiency, not ideology

While he does agree with many facets of the ideological arguments contained within Serge Wroclawski's Why the World Needs OpenStreetMap post, Coast is more concerned about the lack-of-efficiency aspect of having too many online mapping platforms.

"The sheer efficiency angle is a bigger point and slightly more important to me," he says. "Depending on how you count, there are four major (online) maps of the world. Or, I should say, four relatively-complete maps of the world. I mean, do we really need four different maps, or would it be easier if we had one that was open?"

The four Coast refers to, of course, are Google, Tom Tom, HERE, and OpenStreetMap. Though if you want to drill down into localized regions then there is a whole lot more, such as Ordnance Survey in the UK. And this is a key point to pick up on – having an open, editable online mapping platform has different benefits depending on where you are in the world.

"The reason I started in the UK is because we have the Ordnance Survey, which makes these great maps, but then to use them you have to pay money," explains Coast. "But then if you're somewhere where there aren't very good maps, like large parts of Africa, then there's a different reason for making this data open. If you're in a relief area, like we had with Haiti after the earthquake, there's a whole different set of reasons why you'd want an open map that anyone can contribute to quickly."

Over and above all this, however, OpenStreetMap-powered platforms such as those belonging to Skobbler, are able to offer 100% offline access to the maps. So, someone may well use Google Maps in their home country if they're on an unlimited data plan, but then switch to something like GPS Navigation & Maps when abroad. All that's required is the (free) GPS function of a smartphone, and the pre-installed map of the destination country.

For the privacy-concerned among you, this also means you can navigate without giving your personal location details away.

The future of OpenStreetMap

Though there are many things to celebrate about OpenStreetMap, such as noble intentions and scalability, there's no escaping some of the inherent drawbacks. You would be hard-pushed to find an OpenStreetMap-powered mobile app that's quite as slick as Google Maps – and that's not the gushing-praise of a 'Google Fanboy' talkin'.

And with Google Maps, you get a lot more than simply maps and navigation. In addition to its own crowdsourced efforts via Map Maker, Waze, and its newly launched Maps Gallery, there's the tight integration with Google Earth and Street View, something that OpenStreetMap will have a difficult time emulating.

But could OSM's scope be expanded to include Street View-esque features?

"There's a whole bunch of very interesting problems with that," says Coast. "When you look at doing very high quality street imagery, it's very expensive to do. All those vehicles and fuel, and secondary costs such as cameras and somewhere to store those hi-res photos on the vehicle. Then there's all the processing facilities. You can see how hard and expensive it is to do."

Fair enough, point taken.

But with the increasing affordability of professional-grade equipment and sophisticated gadgetry, where are we likely to see OpenStreetMap go from here?

We've seen some amazing use-cases for drones in recent times. A filmmaker used one to capture amazing scenes of New York, while the media enlisted them to document political protests in Bangkok last month. And let's not forget this gnarly surfing video shot with a drone and a GoPro at Banzai Pipeline. So is this something OSM editors could use to their advantage?

"It's very nascent, but there are now kits that let you take lots of photos of a specific area and turn it into a geo-rectified picture," says Coast. "There's one thing you have to note though – whether it's a satellite, a plane or a drone – it's taking a picture, but it's probably not quite directly 'down'. And then the Earth is not flat – there's hills, there's valleys. And you have to take all this into account when you stitch all the photos together."

Indeed, there are many distortions that can come into play when taking photos from above, including the quality of the air and the atmosphere. Drones may offer some potential for amateur cartographers, but it opens up a whole hornet's nest of issues too.

A more immediate and realistic development at OpenStreetMap towers is likely to center around one simple thing – growth. As with many online projects, things tend to snowball the more people start using it, and there has been a lot of snowballing going on in recent times. This looks set to continue.

"I think more and more people will start using it," says Coast. "In the beginning it was very much a chicken-and-egg problem, right? You start with nothing, you do a little bit of data, but then you don't have enough data to attract people. More people will put more data in if there was already more data, so it took a while to bootstrap the project to where it is now. But now it's a very viable competitor to commercial offerings."

With Telenav and Skobbler now pooling their collective resources, working to iterate and improve OpenStreetMap, and guided by the very man who started it all off ten years ago, it will be interesting to see where things go in the months and years that follow.

OpenStreetMap

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Android developer missing TestFlight? TestFairy has you covered

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:50 AM PST

Code 2 520x245 Android developer missing TestFlight? TestFairy has you covered

Shortly before Apple acquired the beta app testing platform TestFlight this month, the company announced it was dropping support for Android apps – leaving users without an easy alternative to switch to.

However, TestFairy has just launched a hassle-free migration service for TestFlight users looking to carry on their development and testing without having to radically change their workflow.

In fact, users can shift across with their existing TestFlight SDKs as they are now and the system will convert the apps to work with TestFairy's API when they're uploaded.

Testfairy 730x410 Android developer missing TestFlight? TestFairy has you covered

In addition to painless migration, the company says TestFairy also offers the option to record videos (of what a user was doing in the app), generate heat maps, and provide coverage reports for further fine-tuning.

➤ TestFairy

Featured Image Credit – Shutterstock

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Type Machine for Android remembers everything you type

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:14 AM PST

type 520x245 Type Machine for Android remembers everything you type

It's a problem we've probably all encountered at some point. You enter a chunk of text on your phone, but your fat-fingeredness leads you to accidentally delete it. Or perhaps you jotted something down in one of your apps, but can't recall where? This is where Type Machine for Android wants to help.

Type Machine basically collects your entire text-input history, covering every app. To enable Type Machine, you have to switch it on within the accessibility settings of your device, then all you have to do is type away as normal, then revisit Type Machine whenever you wish to search back through your typing history.

You can filter by app, and user a little slider to see what you typed letter by letter, then 'tap' and copy the text to your clipboard.

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From our tests, it does work with most native Android apps, though for some reason it didn't work with Twitter at all. This is seemingly a known issue. And for the privacy-concerned among you, it won't save any text entered into password fields, while you can set a PIN to lock your history. You can also configure a list of apps you don't wish to track.

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If you can ignore the inevitable privacy concerns such an app raises regardless of the baked-in features designed to combat this, Type Machine is a neat little app for sure that could have many (legitimate) uses. And it's yours for $1.99 on Google Play now.

Type Machine | Google Play

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Troubled Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox has filed for bankruptcy protection in Tokyo

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 02:10 AM PST

474757453 520x245 Troubled Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox has filed for bankruptcy protection in Tokyo

Troubled Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, once the largest of its kind, has filed for bankruptcy protection, the Wall Street Journal reports.

At the Tokyo district court today, a lawyer for Mt. Gox announced the move and said the company has an outstanding debt of about 6.5 billion yen ($63.6 million).

Mt. Gox disappeared from the Internet earlier this week amid rumors that it is battling insolvency. Subsequently, CEO Mark Karpeles told customers on the Mt. Gox homepage that he was "working very hard with the support of different parties to find a solution" to the exchange's various issues.

The exchange has consistently traded below the market valuation for months due to security concerns — and recently it completely froze withdrawals, sending prices on the exchange crashing as customers worried about the future of Bitcoins stored in Mt. Gox. What was more, a document claimed to have been leaked out of Mt. Gox was circulating within the Bitcoin community earlier this week, which suggested that 750,000 Bitcoins belonging to the company's customer base had been lost.

Filing for bankruptcy protection will no doubt add on to those concerns — and cast a shadow on the future of Bitcoin. Pre-empting such a response, the heads of six of the world's biggest Bitcoin exchanges earlier penned a letter in response to reports of Mt. Gox's impending insolvency.

Image Credit: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images

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Manchester United fans are getting a shot to ‘be’ at a match via a live Google+ Hangout

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:40 AM PST

Manchester United has teamed up with Google to let a selected group of fans "be" at Old Trafford on March 16 for the kick-off of a match between United and Liverpool. Through 'Front Row,' these selected fans can witness the match via a live Google+ Hangout.

Manchester United and Google Front Row initiative in action credit Manchester United 730x411 Manchester United fans are getting a shot to be at a match via a live Google+ Hangout

To have a shot at being selected, fans have to share a picture on Google+, along with the tag #MUFrontRow. A "handful" of the submissions will be selected, though no specific number was provided. You get more swag after the match too — each participant will get photos of your appearance on the pitch and a welcome on United's Google+ page.

It seems like initiatives such as these that blend offline and online social interactions are growing in popularity as brands and celebrities seek new ways to keep in touch with their audience — and that's all the better for fans.

Thumbnail image via Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

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Vietnam’s central bank rules that Bitcoin isn’t a legal currency and warns of risks

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 11:03 PM PST

shutterstock 82376824 Vietnams central bank rules that Bitcoin isnt a legal currency and warns of risksVietnam has become the latest government to rule that Bitcoin is not a legal currency and therefore isn't lawfully recognized or protected, warning its citizens not to use or invest in the virtual currency, the Associated Press reports.

In a statement, Vietnam's central bank notes that there has been an increase in Bitcoin activity recently. In response to that, it says Bitcoin is harmful as it is linked to criminal activities such as money laundering, drug trafficking and tax evasion among others. It also says that Bitcoin trading poses a lot of risks — citing the fluctuation in its value ever since exchange Mt. Gox went offline amid insolvency rumors. Due to the volatility of Bitcoin, Vietnam's central bank notes that it could potentially be damaging for investors as well.

The bank also states that financial institutions are not allowed to use Bitcoins when providing services — but didn't lay out specific regulations for Internet users — which suggests that Vietnam could allow Bitcoin to continue existing even as it warns of the risks, though users won't be able to receive any legal backing even after encountering issues such as fraud.

Vietnam Says Bitcoin Transactions Are Illegal [Associated Press]

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WeChat comes to the desktop with the launch of a native Mac client; Windows is likely to be next

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 09:34 PM PST

There's now an additional way for users of popular messaging service WeChat to communicate — via a newly-launched native desktop Mac client. Announced on its official Weibo account, the WeChat Mac client is available in both English and Chinese and brings the WeChat interface into a setting optimized for the Mac desktop. You need to have Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or above to install the client.

WeChat Mac WeChat comes to the desktop with the launch of a native Mac client; Windows is likely to be next

A Web version of WeChat has already been available for users to chat on their PCs — all you have to do is scan a QR code to sync your mobile version to the browser — but this is the first time a native desktop client has been introduced. Other than providing more options for users and making it easier to chat across platforms, WeChat's move brings it closer in line with its fierce rival, Japanese messaging app Line, which already has desktop clients for both Mac and Windows users.

Windows users of WeChat have to wait for their turn though — despite the company declining to comment on its future plans, a WeChat Windows client is expected to land at some point in the future.

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Hulu parts ways with its Japanese business, selling it to Nippon TV

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:54 PM PST

hulu logo 2011 a l Hulu parts ways with its Japanese business, selling it to Nippon TVHulu launched in Japan just under three years ago, and now the company is parting ways with its business there.

In a blog post (via GigaOm), Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins says that Hulu has "reached a point in the growth of the business in Japan where we feel the best path forward is to sell the company to a strategic buyer." Nippon TV, a television network in Japan, will be acquiring the video streaming service's operations in the country — for an undisclosed amount.

Hopkins notes that Hulu is now accessible across more than 90 million devices in the Japanese market and includes content from 50 partners, totaling more than 13,000 TV dramas, anime programs and movies.

The Hulu brand will still stay on in Japan though. Going forward, Hulu will be licensing its brand and technology and continue to provide services to the Japan business — which technically wouldn't mean much change on the part of users.

➤ An International Update From Hulu in Japan [Blog Post]

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Google amps up Hangouts for iOS, adding stickers and Vine-like short video messaging

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:22 PM PST

95920158 520x245 Google amps up Hangouts for iOS, adding stickers and Vine like short video messaging

Google has finally taken steps to super-charge its Hangouts app with new features, catching up with many of the messaging apps out there that have added a ton of features including stickers.

A bunch of rich emoticon-like stickers have landed on Google Hangouts for iOS in a new update rolled out today. What's more, Google has also introduced Vine-like short video messages which you can send to your friends in place of photos, for example. You get to record videos up to 10 seconds long and send them to your friends, after which they will play in a loop automatically within your chat.

Hangouts 1 730x647 Google amps up Hangouts for iOS, adding stickers and Vine like short video messaging

The new version of Hangouts for iOS also features location sharing now, and is optimized for the iPad, thus including picture-in-picture video calling and a two-pane conversation view.

Google has already relaxed Android settings to enable users to replace the central SMS system with Hangouts, but its move to introduce new features — even on iOS — could appeal to more users.

We previously noted given the importance of messaging services in the mobile ecosystem now, considering the $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook, Google could consider super-charging its Hangouts app. This could include tighter synergies between its mobile apps and Hangouts, or the addition of games, stickers and other services that are proving popular in Asia with the likes of Line and WeChat.

➤ Google Hangouts: iOS

ReadAfter missing out on WhatsApp, what does Google do next?

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